Telegraph: ‘Sturgeon’s Tavistock’ clinic offers trans treatments not backed by ‘robust evidence’

[ResisterRex]

A very long article about the Sandyford clinic in today's Telegraph:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/26/sturgeons-tavistock-clinic-offers-trans-children-surgery-not/

"A gender identity clinic’ branded “Sturgeon’s Tavistock” has been offering patients irreversible sex-change treatments despite senior clinicians admitting that its methods are not backed by “robust evidence”, a leaked recording showed.
The Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow, home to Scotland’s only gender identity clinicc_ for children, also authorised hormone treatment and referrals for surgical procedures for its patients after apparently rudimentary mental health assessments, according to unguarded comments by a senior clinician."

Accessible version is here

twitter.com/transgendertrd/status/1585516472897601536?s=46&t=IDycEiD65ZpkeMnthVTrAA

I’m not surprised at all. They have consistently stuck their fingers in their ears around any mention of the Bell case and the Cass Review. In a minor but personally frustrating experience for me, I wrote to them after NHS England changed their online information about PBs/CSH and asked them to update their pamphlet for young people. Their initial response was to address the email to me as “Dear No” <and then they went on to say no to me>. I went back to object and they removed the pamphlet and took over a year to publish a new one.

So everything from the very minor to the major is a complete clusterfuck with them,

Apparently radio 4 are covering the story just now

Describing the mental health assessment process later in the session, after being asked about the ethics of carrying out procedures that resulted in infertility, she said: “The entirety of the assessment is based on that person’s self report.
“We can only go on what they tell us. It’s not a forensic assessment where you’re looking at social work and school and all of those things. You’re basically just going on what they tell you.
“That’s ethical... As long as we say that, and if that later changes, then that’s all the information we had available at the time of writing, if you like. It is a massive concern for people, but it is what it is at the moment, unfortunately.”

Jesus Christ. They need to be shut down.

Radio 4's engagement with the story was Justin Webb on the Today programme choosing the Telegraph article as one of the stories to mention in the round up of the newspapers. That triggered whining from trans activists on twitter. Apparently reporting that trans people are receiving sub-standard medical care is "anti-trans".

We can only go on what they tell us. It’s not a forensic assessment where you’re looking at social work and school and all of those things. You’re basically just going on what they tell you

Imagine if that approach was used in any other area of medicine!

*My 13 year old patient has just told me they are diabetic. I won’t do any other investigation, just give her the medication.

It's like collectively their brains fell out.

My adolescent patient told me he identifies as a nine-fingered human. Unfortunately he appears to have ten, so he is booked in for an amputation tomorrow.

The first stage of the gender recognition bill is being voted on today in the Scottish parliament. It’s expected to go through.

archive copy archive.ph/TOZDO

Is there any other version of dysphoria/dysmorphia which is treated principally through affirmation? <curious>

How do the clinicians working there square this with their medical training, their medical vow and their conciences? I can only assume they don't have one. It puts me in mind of the tropes 'only following orders' and, iirc, 'in order for evil to flourish, it is necessary for good men to do nothing'.

They have a choice, the NHS seems to be short of people everywhere, so I imagine they could easily find work in another area. Have all the good people moved away? So all that is left are the psychopaths, the incompetents and the true believers?

No one is remotely surprised.

I think 'Sandyford' was trending on twitter.

"Trans men can be referred for mastectomies after just one initial mental health assessment, which can involve patients being shown what she described as a “childlike” image of a “gender unicorn”, she told colleagues."

FFS the gender unicorn should not be used as a diagnostic tool when people's mental and physical health is at stake. According to the specifications of the gender unicorn, many of us on this board would be fast tracked to surgery and hormones!

I've never seen anything rot people's brains as much as genderism (ok, maybe apart from Naomi Wolf and vaccines).

'We wash our hands of all responsibility for these children's wellbeing'

'It is a massive concern for people' but whattayagonnado, eh!?

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/consider-the-evidence-on-gender-dysphoria-dr-anthony-latham-dr-anne-williams-dr-calum-mackellar-and-dr-angus-mckellar-3891714

'In summary, the majority position in the report from the Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is unworthy of the high expectations of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people since it is unreasonable, unprofessional, and does not sufficiently address the biomedical evidence. Moreover, if the Scottish Parliament does accept the majority view of the Committee in removing the requirement of a medical opinion before gender transitioning takes place, this will certainly lead to some young persons being harmed.'

(signed by doctors including several from the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics)

Why has NS made this her 'mission'? She's truly got her fingers in her ears when it comes to this. There isn't even a push to get more evidence before the deal is done, just absolute tunnel vision.

Is it she just doesn't want to be told by the English or is there someone with pockets behind this or does she, for whatever reason, truly believe in it all?

I suspect she sees it as low risk. The children who risk being harmed are collateral. Women's rights are some abstract T shirt slogan to her, they don't translate into the boring and mundane things like voting on issues to help women, or taking any actual action. Just a nice wee slogan to chant. Cost free. Sounds good on telly.

She seems to regard herself as the leader of some great progressive project (and of a Scottish empire), the purpose is to get one up on the English / the UK government. She spoke recently of her loathing of the 'Tories' in terms that were quite shocking. I don't know if that's indicative of a healthy frame of mind for a leader of a country.

Here's the link to the Telegraph's second story which contains a banned word I didn't know about!

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/27/gender-identity-clinics-across-scotland-secretly-use-extreme/

Justin is definitely on board with this issue. Good for him.